The present invention relates generally to computer hardware, and more specifically, to supplementary cooling of computing systems.
Heat dissipation is an important consideration in the design of modern-day computer systems, especially portable computers such as notebook-sized personal computers (hereinafter referred to as “notebook PCs”). Major sources of heat in such notebook PCs include microprocessors and hard disk drive assemblies.
Cooling systems are typically stand-alone components used in computing systems to maintain the temperatures of various electronic devices within certain specified ranges. Sometimes, the heat generated by an electronic device may increase after a cooling system design is fixed or implemented. For example, in the case of a processor, the average processing level at which the processor operates may increase if the primary use of the computing system changes from a low processing level application (such as word processing) to a high processing level application (such as playing video games). The increase in average processing level may cause the processor to generate more heat. If the existing cooling system does not have the capacity to counter the increased levels of generated heat, then the operating efficiency of the computing system may be impaired.
Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need for apparatus and methods for supplemental cooling of computing systems.